If you own the Amazon Kindle 3, which has now been renamed to Kindle Keyboard, you might want to take note. Amazon has just released a software update for the E-Ink e-Reader, version 3.3. The update brings to the Kindle Keyboard some of the new features found in the latest generation of Kindle readers/tablets such as Whispersync, to synchronize your annotations, bookmarks and last page read with all your devices, and cloud storage for all your documents so you can access them wirelessly anytime.continue reading

So, it´s here; Amazon has officially entered the tablet wars with a bang. Jeff Bezos announced today Amazon’s 7-inch tablet, which will be priced even lower than what was initially expected. The Kindle Fire, can be pre-ordered now for $199, $50 less than the Nook Color and less than half the price of most other Android tablets and the iPad 2.

Despite the price however, the Kindle Fire, is a solid device, if not a bit barebones. A 7-inch IPS display with a 1024 x 600 resolution, dominates the front, featuring Gorilla Glass protection. The Fire runs a TI OMAP4 dual-core processor (but no specifics on speed), it also has 8GB of built-in storage and the battery is advertised to last for eight hours of reading or 7.5 hours of video playback. As rumored, the device is very similar in design to the BlackBerry Playbook, measuring 7.5 x 4.7 x 0.45 inches (190 x 120 x 11.5mm) and weighing 14.6 ounces (413g).

There is no camera, no microphone, no GPS, no Bluetooth and no card reader. The Kindle Fire only has a 3.5mm headphone jack, a charge port and a pair of stereo speakers. The back is rubberized, like the Nook Color and the Playbook.continue reading

We first reported on an upcoming Android tablet from Amazon a few weeks ago, to be announced and released this fall. Well, Amazon has been sending out invites for a media event this Wednesday, 28th; definitely a ripe time to announce their rumored 7-inch tablet (see our mockup above).

Obviously, a new Android tablet is not big news nowadays. The big news, would come in terms of pricing, with the Kindle Tablet — or Kindle Fire as reported by TechCrunch — selling for around $250 in order to undercut the competition; while putting it in direct line of fire to the B&N Nook Color.

There has been a lot of noise around the internet, over the past few weeks, about an upcoming Amazon tablet which will be competitively priced and supposed to finally give the iPad some much-needed competition. TechCrunch’s Siegler blogged yesterday that he has seen and handled the device, which will be a 7-inch tablet simply named Amazon Kindle, but unlike Amazon’s other Kindle devices this one will feature a normal, rather than E-Ink, color touch-screen.

It will run a very customized version of Android with a user interface similar to what we are used to from Amazon, dark, blue with bunches of orange. Content, such as books, movies and apps is presented in a carousel format, à la iTunes Cover Flow.

The device is said to have a form factor similar to the BlackBerry PlayBook but no cameras whatsoever and no physical buttons on the front. The back has a rubber feel and the speakers are on the top of the Kindle tablet, if you are holding it in landscape mode, and the power button at the bottom. Based on the information provided, we’ve made a quick mock-up (see above) of what the Amazon Kindle tablet could look like.

The 7-inch tablet is said to retail for $250 and Amazon is targeting November for launch, while it’s ironing out the software side.